I just realized that all the pan juices from my Christmas turkey (!!!) have been in the fridge in a stainless steel covered pot. I heated it on the stove to make it easier to dispose of, and it smells delicious. Is there any chance it is still ok to eat? It had no discernible mold, or anything.

Great ideas, all.
The gelatin and other nutrients in bones are best recaptured by cracking them and covering with COLD water, then simmering.
I have used this method when starting with raw wings and thighs, and also when recycling that turkey carcass.
BTW, roast that carcass at 400F for an hour, or until it turns golden. Let cool before making stock.

I too have had pan drippings sit in the refrigerator for a few weeks and when I reheat it looks and smells fine. I see where someone said better safe--pitch it. What is the worst possible outcome? Is it bacteria? If so, wouldn't boiling it take care of it? I really hate to throw this stuff out. It's such wonderful flavor. Thanks,
guest karen

listeria is the most prevalent baddie, but is 'under recognized' as it very rarely causes anything more than a case of diarrhea.

e. coli and salmonella have more impact - especially in the young, elderly and compromised individuals. infrequent but not unknown complications include odd-ball infections that can result in death - especially when the problem is not recognized / treated in a timely fashion.

all that said, yes - a good ten minute boil _should_ kill the nasties - if they are present.

"a few weeks" is certainly pushing the limit for "not foul tasting" - at least in my experience.

I have been making stock for the past 6 months or so and have been experimenting with various techniques and ingredients. I recently used the carcasses of 2 roasted chickens along with a bunch of chicken feet that I purchased at an international market. The carcasses had been roasted first. To prepare the chicken feet, I boiled them for 5 minutes, then chopped off the claws (at the first knuckle). I then threw all of the bones and feet in the slow cooker and continued as usual (a little vinegar, and onions, carrots, celery and herbs for the last hour).

The stock gels beautifully but the taste is just ... different. It has a very slight bitter flavour to it. Could this have something to do with the chicken feet? They were not roasted before hand. Any ideas or suggestions?

I made turkey stock for the first time yesterday. I used 5 lb of turkey wings (the centers) along with chopped onion, celery and carrot along with some dried seasonings; the wings were browned prior to going into the pot followed by the veggies (after being sauteed in the same oil as the wings were browned it). They were then covered with water and 'simmered' for roughly 7 hours. I occasionally skimmed the surface as I checked the simmer level.

At first I had a slow boil which became a non-simmer (a film appeared across the top of the pot) which then, for the majority of the cooking, was, what I call a fast simmer; there were small bubbles coming to the surface.

The stock sat at room temperature for a few hours before going into the fringe. I just pulled it out of the fridge to remove the top layer of fat to find that under a thin layer of yellowish fat was a big bowl of gelatinous goo. IS THIS NORMAL??? I was expecting a liquid under the fat, not goo. Is this the result of boiling out the collagen from the bones??

>>under a thin layer of yellowish fat was a big bowl of gelatinous goo. IS THIS NORMAL???

a-yup. totally "normal" where the scraps have given up their gelatin.

Not only would I call it "normal", I would say that that is a sign that your stock was a success. It's all that gelatin (from denatured collagen) that thickens your soup into a Jell-O consistency. This gelatin is what sets homemade stock from store bought and give it that extra richness and unctuousness that makes soup so good.

What is the absolute longest, you can keep the stock frozen, w/o it going bad?

In theory, they can be held indefinitely before going bad (especially if kept in deep freeze like a chest freezer as opposed to a self-defrosting freezer). In reality, off flavors might be detectable after six months to a year. There should be no health risk, just flavor/taste alteration.